O Brother What Art Thou
by shimmerdragoness
Summary: Alternate ending to the DMC video game in which Dante says the only thing that can make Vergil stay after wounding him on the rooftop.
1. Chapter 1

It was, without a doubt, the most terrifying thing Kat had ever seen in her life. Over the past few days she had almost literally been through hell and back, had come face to face with monsters that even her wildest fever dreams wouldn't have been able to conjure, and had stared down death on every conceivable level time after time after time. All of that seemed so insignificant, so harmless, in the face of what she was witnessing now. The two people she valued and cared for most in the world, the nephilim twins Dante and Vergil, were battling each other to what had to be to the death. It was heartbreaking. It was awful beyond words. The brothers had been working so well with each other ever since reuniting, but after the fall of Mundus Vergil had suddenly declared his intention to rule humanity in the demon's stead. Dante was having none of that. Unable to settle their differences peacefully, they had been forced into combat with each other. Kat wasn't sure if she felt more like screaming or crying. She was unable to do either. All she could do was cower behind a trashcan, hoping beyond hope that they would see reason and stop this.

The battle swung wildly back and forth between the almost evenly matched siblings. Sparks flew as the evil clang of sword blade dragging across sword blade rang out over and over again. They knew each other's tactics and strategy; they knew each other's way of thinking. It was a stalemate; it had to be. It was a stalemate of power. It was a stalemate of ideals. Kat was just about to give up hope entirely, certain that the nephilim brothers would annihilate each other, when she realized that slowly, dreadfully slowly, the tide of battle was turning in Dante's favor. Or was it? Yes. Yes, Vergil was definitely taking the brunt of it, now. Of course, it made sense. Vergil was the brains behind the operations, Dante was the brawn. Pitted one-on-one like this, while evenly matched at the outset, Vergil was definitely going to tire before his brother had even broken a real sweat. The realization that Vergil was going to lose twisted its way down her spine like a crackling bolt of electricity. This was a good thing, right? After all, Vergil was the one who wanted to enslave mankind again. Vergil was the one they were trying to stop. His defeat was the end goal. Right? Right? But if that was right, why did her insides feel so sick?

Dante crashed against Vergil again and again, unrelenting, unstopping, unmercifully. Vergil had put up good resistance, but against the fury that was his devil triggered brother he had no hope of holding up. Kat couldn't stop a cry of horror as Dante pushed past Vergil's last defense and with brutal efficiency rammed Rebellion deep into Vergil's chest. Kat covered her mouth with her hands as Vergil cried out in pain and defeat, grabbing at the blade sticking right through him. Slowly, agonizingly, Dante forced Vergil to his knees and then further, all the way to the ground. This was it. Dante was going to kill him. Humanity was finally going to fully, wholly free. But watching this scene play out in front of her, hearing Vergil's groans, she couldn't bring herself to see the hero of mankind removing humanity's scourge. No. What she saw were the two men she loved, one about to kill the other, both in pain. She could not see Vergil as the villain. She could only think of the man who had saved her from a life of nightmares, the man who had helped her escape and overcome her past, the man who had given her safety, sanity, a new start, a real family. Even though he had to be in such awful pain, he remained stoic, only revealing his suffering through deep gasps and quiet cries. He couldn't die. He _couldn't…die…_ she staggered to her feet, her bandaged arm protesting, and surged forward towards them.

"Dante!" she said, her good hand curling in her hoodie, "Dante, don't kill him. Please." Slowly, slowly, she knelt beside them. "I am _begging_ you. Please stop." Dante glanced sharply over at her, his eyes flashing bright and burning. He looked almost feral. "For me," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. There was a long moment where nothing moved. Then, with a sudden jerk, Dante rose from his position kneeling above his brother and withdrew his sword. Vergil gasped, his voice thick with pain, his hand straying towards the horrible consuming pulse in his chest. There was a moment of tense silence before Dante slowly reached out a hand, a silent plea. Just as slowly, with a hint of hesitation, Vergil grasped it and let Dante help him to his feet. Kat was amazed that the sound of her heart breaking wasn't clearly audible. The brothers' gazes held each other fast as they slowly, slowly, let go of each other's arm.

"The world is under my protection now," Dante said, his voice and eyes hard.

"You've chosen the wrong side," Vergil murmured. "You're not human, Dante, and you never will be." Dante didn't reply. Perhaps he couldn't. Vergil cast a glance back at Kat before staggering back and bending to pick up his fallen sword. With a grunt of effort, he slashed open a portal in the air behind him. Kat moved slowly behind Dante, trying to convince the maelstrom that was her mind to calm down. It was over. Wasn't it? It was over. It was good now. This was good. Surely this nausea would pass. Surely this ache that ate all the way to her bones would leave in time. Surely. Vergil, on the verge of disappearing, suddenly stopped. He turned back to Dante, his eyes raw and full of betrayal. "I loved you, brother," he gasped out, past the pain. Dante's eyes widened just slightly. As Vergil turned to leave for the last time, Dante spoke.

"Yeah, well, I _still_ love you, you bastard."


	2. Chapter 2

It must be said of Vergil that in that moment, he was absolutely prepared to leave forever. He had written Dante and Kat and the whole damn mortal plane off in the moment Rebellion had connected so solidly with his sternum. He was ready to leave. He _wanted_ to leave. But hearing Dante speak those last words held him in place as effectively as a bear trap on his leg would have. If he left now, leaving those _infernal_ words hanging in the air behind him, he knew without a doubt that they would haunt him for all eternity. Even if this wound made good on what it had started and stole his life, those words would never leave him, haunting him forever in whatever afterlife he arrived. If by some miracle he survived this, those words would swirl through his soul and his mind and his dreams forever until they wore grooves into his psyche and carved themselves behind his eyes. He closed his eyes and heaved a deep sigh. Very deliberately, he turned around and pinned Dante beneath a withering glare. Dante, the stupid idiot, had the nerve to look bewildered.

"How dare you?" Vergil spat. He turned further, even took a step towards the astonished pair. "How _dare_ you say that? After all this, how _dare_ you lie to me so blatantly?" Dante's eyebrows rose. Vergil had the sudden itching desire to straight up punch his brother in the mouth. He didn't, though. His willpower was a force to be reckoned with.

"Lie?" Dante finally said. "What lie?" Vergil scoffed.

"You tell me that you love me and expect me to believe you? That's rich, brother. Even from you." Dante folded his arms and narrowed his eyes.

"What, you're allowed to have had familial feelings for me, but not me for you? That's just rude."

"How can you claim—" Vergil started to shout back, but the wound in his chest quickly reminded himself of its existence with a hot, sharp wave of horrible pain. Vergil screwed one eye shut and staggered forward a step, grunting around clenched teeth, his hand straying to his chest again. Damn, that sword had made a dent in him. Dante and Kat had both instinctively moved forward when Vergil stumbled, but he halted them with a sharp glare. "How can you claim," he gasped out, a lot quieter and breathier this time, "How can you claim to still love me after proving so completely that you do nothing of the sort?" Dante's expression turned pained.

"I didn't want this," he said, real regret in his voice. "You forced my hand."

"You betrayed me!" Vergil shouted, ignoring the fresh stab of pain his outburst caused. He pressed his right hand over his chest. At least this wound was real, visible, and clear to understand. It was the _other_ pain in his heart that was worrying him, the pain that had started the moment Dante had spoken against him. "You turned your back on me, your only remaining family, the only other one of your kind. For what? For her?" He waved Yamato at Kat. "For humans?" The thought burned bitter in his throat. "For those weak, pathetic _sheep_?" He wanted to keep shouting, but each word caused his wound to throb with fresh agony. It took all his strength to not collapse to his knees. Dante stepped forward slowly, calmly, with hands extended palms out, like one would approach an injured trapped animal. Behind him, Kat began to wring her hands nervously, though she didn't dare follow him.

"Vergil, I didn't betray you. You betrayed us." Vergil scowled and staggered backwards a step, closer towards the portal that was still glowing behind him. It deeply troubled him how difficult moving had become. Everything hurt, absolutely everything. Dante froze the moment Vergil moved. "Vergil," he repeated, his tone picking up an undertone of pleading. "It doesn't have to end this way. Please, listen to me." Vergil's eyes narrowed.

"Of course it has to end this way, _brother._ You've clearly shown me who the stronger one is. There is nothing left for me here. There is nothing left for me _anywhere_." Even breathing hurt, now. Vergil's fingers tightened on his coat. Dante started moving closer again, hands still outstretched, his entire expression—what, desperate? Hopeful? Despairing? It was hard to tell. The early rage and cockiness, however, were all gone. Vergil felt like he was being drawn into his brother's open, pleading gaze. It was a strange expression to see on Dante's face.

"There is nothing left here for a Demon King," Dante replied, his tone even and low. He had stopped moving again, only a couple yards from Vergil now. "You are not a Demon King, Vergil. You are nephilim. You are my brother. Look at me. I'm still here, Kat's still here." Vergil scowled.

"Humans…they're pathetic, Dante. They're chaotic and self-destructive. They need a ruler. They need someone to—" He winced sharply in pain. "—To take care of them." His voice sounded weak to his own ears. Behind Dante, Kat was slowly shaking her head. Vergil could feel himself getting faint. Blood loss was starting to get to him.

"Vergil." Dante said, slowly and deliberately, slowly moving forward again. "You're just spitting back the lies that Mundus has led you to believe. You and I grew up very differently after we were separated. You found our past; you found your identity. I grew up believing myself human for the majority of my life. Are humans chaotic and self-destructive? Heck yes. But they are much more than that. They can take care of themselves. They _need_ to take care of themselves. Humans need their freedom as much as you or I." Most of Vergil's attention was focused on inhaling and exhaling at this point. Dante's words all seemed to run and blur together like ink on a wet sheet of paper. Only one thing was clear to him, glaring in his mind like a neon sign. He had failed. All those years of planning, and training, and fighting—it had all been for naught. Everything was empty. Nothing mattered. He didn't matter. He had never mattered.

"Why didn't you kill me?" Vergil murmured thickly. Words were hard. Everything was pain. Why was his vision swimming like that? "Why didn't you kill me? For her? Always for her?" He was leaning heavily on Yamato now, as one would on a cane. "It would have been so much easier for both of us if you hadn't stopped. Why can't you just let me go?" The pain was too much now. His knees gave out and he sagged forward, like a marionette with its strings cut. Dante, however, had finally managed to get close enough. Before Vergil hit the ground, Dante made it to his side and caught him. Dante wrapped his arms around his brother, hugging him close and supporting him completely.

"I didn't kill you because I love you," Dante said quietly. "I lost you once and I will not do so again, no matter how big of a douchebag you are." They were last words Vergil heard before the darkness of unconsciousness claimed him.


	3. Chapter 3

It took a long time after waking for Vergil to even be aware that he was awake. It took a long time to be aware of anything besides the pain, for that matter. It wasn't as fresh and throbbing as it had been initially, but it was still a deep burning agony centered over his heart that refused to let up. He dragged his eyes open. The first thing that struck him was that he was in the real world. This was not Limbo, this was not some strange afterlife world; this was the flesh and blood, solid reality. The second thing that registered was that he was sprawled face-up on a large mattress sitting on an iron bedframe, a sheet haphazardly thrown over him. He groaned aloud, and despite every nerve ending in his body screaming at him that it was a poor decision, dragged himself upright into a sitting position. For several moments after he could do nothing more than focus on drawing breath, his hand pressing instinctively to the pounding in his chest. It was only then that he noticed that he was stripped to the waist, his torso wrapped in white bandages. His coat, hat and sword lay at the end of the bed by his legs.

"Vergil? Vergil!" Turning his head towards the source of the voice, Vergil impassively watched Kat run up to the bedside. "You're awake! Oh thank the Heavens. Are you all right? Are you okay sitting up?" Vergil glanced around him, surprised at their surroundings. They were back in the large room that he has used as the headquarters of The Order.

"What are we doing back in this hellhole?" he muttered. Kat reached out as though to touch his shoulder, but hesitated and withdrew her hand again. Her whole demeanor was suddenly very nervous. She didn't know how to act around him anymore. She was…she was _scared_ of him. The realization struck hard in Vergil's gut like a river stone. He decided to blithely ignore it. "I thought Mundus' thugs destroyed this place coming after us." Kat shrugged one shoulder, gripping her left elbow and tugging at the sleeve.

"They did. Well, most of it. Dante and I and the remnants of the old group are trying to piece it back together. Our job's not really done, you know. With Limbo collapsing into the real world, demon-human encounters are getting more and more frequent, and the humans don't really know how to deal with it yet." Vergil couldn't resist smirking.

"Told you humans needed protecting."

" _Yet_ ," Kat repeated, her tone hard and sharp. She folded her arms tightly against her chest and moved away a step. Vergil would not admit to himself how much that hurt. He focused on the more demanding pain again. There was a moment of horribly awkward silence as both tried to figure out what to say next. Vergil was just on the cusp of asking where his brother was when Dante crashed through the door, a large tartan quilt draped over one shoulder.

"Kat, you will not _believe_ what—oh, sweet, he's awake." He all but bounced over to Vergil's side, chucking the blanket at him in the process. "Look what I found! You won't have to try to shiver yourself out of your skin tonight!" Dante's brows knit together and his voice dropped. "Not like the past three nights. Are you all right? You're sitting up. You're alive. All good signs." Vergil dropped his eyes back to the blanket in front of him. Three nights? Had he really been out that long? He rubbed his hand lightly over the bandage across his chest. It didn't feel like his wound had healed any in that time. At least it explained the all-consuming hunger that jabbed at him.

"Not so sure about the alive part," he quipped back before he could stop himself. He had to remind himself that there was a gulf between him and Dante now. They could not simply go on as they had been. Dante dropped onto the bed beside him and waved a hand dismissively.

"Nah, you're nephilim. You'll be on your feet in no time," he said jovially, apparently far less aware of the change in situation than Vergil was. Vergil huffed.

"I'm not so sure about that. I may be nephilim, but _you_ inflicted this wound with a divine weapon. It's probably done more damage than it looks like." He was very careful to emphasize the cause of his pain. Dante's expression changed subtly. Despite his earlier flippant attitude, his eyes were dark and concerned. Like him, Vergil should have self-healing capabilities. The fact that the inflicted wound was still so bad three days later was upsetting.

"I hope not. It looked like…like a lot of damage." There. That tone. Was that…regret? Surely not. Dante had done what he thought he had to, just like Vergil had. This, however, brought up the problem of why Dante had spared him. More than that, even—the question of why he was here, why they had treated his injuries. Surely they knew that his goal hadn't changed. He _would_ become ruler of the humans, with or without his brother's help. For some reason that particular train of thought was more painful than Vergil remembered it being, and he shied away from it to concentrate on the present again. He simply grunted in response. He glanced over at the girl, who had yet to say anything else. As soon as Dante had arrived, Kat's nervousness had melted away almost entirely. She was actually smiling again, standing beside the bed. Vergil remembered when she had been that way around him, too. How quickly things could change. Fresh pain stabbed through him, and Vergil winced. Was his chest wound getting _worse_?

"So where have you been?" he finally asked Dante through gritted teeth. Dante glanced over at him and flashed a grin.

"I've been roaming town, scavenging anything we can use to piece this crappy hideout back together. It's kind of chaotic out there, what with demons streaming out into reality and all. Everyone's on edge, humans and demons alike. I got into four separate skirmishes this morning, three with demons and one with a band of terrified humans who stumbled into me while I was devil triggered. They nearly beat me to death with beer bottles. It was almost funny." Kat pushed his hair back from his forehead, revealing a spreading bruise. She tsked sharply and moved off to find some first aid supplies while he chuckled.

"I told you to take someone with you," she called over her shoulder to him.

"I'm fine on my own!" Dante replied. "You worry too much." He glanced over at Vergil, who had fallen silent. "She hasn't left this room for three days in case you took a turn for the worse. I've had to bring her all her meals." Vergil digested this information, but still didn't reply. He remained quiet as Kat returned with witch hazel and cotton balls and went to work treating Dante. Dante complained the whole time, but remained still and cooperative. The both of them were disconcertingly relaxed for the fact that they were right beside the man that had just recently attempted to subjugate them. Kat had just finished her ministrations when the door burst open. One of the young men that Vergil recognized from the Order skidded inside.

"Dante!" he called. Vergil tried to recall this human's name but failed. He used to know all his subordinates. "Dante, a commotion has broken out over by the supermarket. Looks like a horde of stygians. We need your help." Cursing, Dante leaped to his feet. He glanced back at Vergil and Kat.

"I gotta go," he said apologetically. He pointed at his brother. "You get better. Rest up. Start thinking about what you want for dinner." Vergil just stared back at him. Dante glanced over at Kat, who nodded.

"I'll keep an eye on him. Go. Don't get hurt," she said. Dante grinned quickly before dashing off out the door. Silence crashed down like a hammer blow. It was amazing what a void Dante left in his wake whenever he left a room. Kat shifted nervously from foot to foot for a moment before suddenly speaking all in a rush.

"He's right. You should rest. I'll—I'll just be in the next room if you need me." All of her nervousness from earlier was back. Well, at least someone remembered that he was still technically the enemy. He just wished it hadn't been Kat.


	4. Chapter 4

"Kat," Vergil said slowly, "have you really been in here for three days straight?" Kat looked up at him in surprise before dropping her gaze self-consciously again. She seemed just about to reply when she suddenly flinched and jumped backwards, letting out a high-pitched yelp. Vergil instinctively tensed and even tried to reach for Yamato, but the sudden motion jarred his wound and he hissed in irritation. "What?" he demanded. "What is it?" Kat jabbed a finger towards the floor, pointing beneath his bed.

" _Spider_ ," she replied, her voice still a squeak. He stared at her in astonishment for a moment before slumping back against the headboard.

"You're kidding. That's _it?_ " He leaned over the side of the bed to see the offending creature. Sure enough, there it was, chilling by the leg of the bed. It was maybe the size of a half-dollar. "That's what has you so worked up? It's _tiny_." Kat huffed.

"Tiny? That thing is _huge_." Vergil glanced up at her incredulously.

"Kat, a hunter demon is _huge_ , and you had absolutely no problem throwing a Molotov cocktail at its face, if I recall correctly." Kat wrung her hands and squirmed.

"This is different! That thing has too many legs and too many eyes and just the way it moves is _icky_. Get rid of it."

"You cannot be serious. I'm the invalid here." She stared back at him with a kind of silent, desperate pleading. He huffed an exaggerated sigh and swung his legs over the side of the bed. Kat squeaked again.

"What…what are you doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm taking care of it. Like you wanted."

"I didn't mean—I just wanted to you _squish_ it. You don't have to get up to do that."

"I'm not going to squish it. It's not hurting anything and it helps keep the bugs out." Oh gosh, everything hurt when he moved. The wound in his chest was a burning hot epicenter of agony. But he _could_ still move, and he was _going_ to move. Snatching a piece of paper off a table that stood near the bed, Vergil dropped heavily to one knee and slid the paper underneath the spider, which scuttled onto it quite readily. "Come on, let's get you out of here so we can all be happier." Kat hovered behind him as he heaved himself back to his feet and half-staggered towards the door, cursing under his breath all the way. This feeling of helplessness was abhorrent to him. He had been so close to being ultimate, absolute ruler. Real power had been right in front of him, so close he could taste it, but then…then everything had fallen apart. He didn't know who or what he was anymore. Everything hurt. _Everything._

He wrenched the door open with more force than was probably necessary, stuck his hand through the door, and shook the poor spider off the paper. He let the door fall closed with a bang. "There, you happy now? It's outside. Gone for good." Kat didn't answer. Vergil had just taken a step back into the room when the pain in his chest spiked harshly. Stifling a cry, he stumbled forward and landed heavily on one knee. Kat was at his side in an instant, sliding beneath his arm on his good side and taking as much of his weight as she could. Between the two of them, they half-walked and half-dragged Vergil back to the bed. He all but collapsed back onto the mattress, letting out a pained gasp of breath. For a while all he did was lie on his back panting, his eyes screwed firmly shut.

"That was a really stupid thing to do," Kat said quietly from somewhere nearby.

"Probably," Vergil agreed breathily between gasps. The pain was settling down again. He'd be able to draw in air normally in a second, he was sure.

"I can't believe you did that just to take a spider outside," Kat said with a sigh. "You literally just woke up." He opened one eye to look at her. She was across the room again with her arms folded, leaning against a big oaken desk. He noted wryly that it was about as much distance as she could possibly put between them. Strange how she kept such a careful distance, but then had been so quick to come to his side to help. She was such a puzzle.

"Well, you certainly weren't going to," he replied, reaching up a hand to rub his eyes.

"Probably true," she admitted. "Well, at least you're finally making yourself useful again." The floor seemed to drop out beneath her as she realized what she had just said.

 _Useful._

It was the word that had broken her heart so completely on the rooftop. It was the word that made her realize that Vergil was infinitely more important to her than she would ever be to him. It hurt her even now, thinking back to it. She folded her arms more tightly to her chest. She had thought she had known who he was. She had trusted him so completely with everything. Was the Vergil she had thought she had known even real, or had that all been her fancy? Was anything they had shared real? She glanced back at Vergil, who was now staring stonily up at the ceiling. She watched the rise and fall of his chest, and tried to quell the horrible memory of seeing him with Dante's sword sticking straight through him. He was alive, she reminded herself. He was alive; she and Dante were alive. Although the world around them was in shambles, her own little world was still hanging on by a thread, patched together like a shoddy quilt. It would have to be enough. They could figure out the rest, one day at a time, like they always had.

"Kat," Vergil said at last, startling her out of her reverie. His voice was oddly strained. "What am I doing here?"

"What?" she said, too surprised by the sudden breaking of the silence to respond properly.

"What am I _doing_ here?" he demanded again, a little louder this time. "What do you want of me?" Kat stood with her mouth hanging open for a moment.

"What do I _want_? I don't want anything of you. I want you to get better." Vergil pushed himself up on an elbow and glared at her.

"That can't be all. You and Dante—you spared me for a reason. Why? What do you expect to get out of me? I have nothing left. I am _worthless_ to you. I am worthless to _everything. Why am I still alive?"_ Kat was dumbstruck. The gears in her head began whirling, putting the pieces together. She had always known that Vergil was ambitious and very driven, but his sudden outburst made it clear to her that his drive for power had roots that ran much deeper than mere ambition. She realized with astonishment that Vergil's entire definition of worth was grounded in his perception of utility. In his own mind, he was only worth as much as the function he provided. Perceiving his carefully crafted plans to be impossible now and himself as helpless, Vergil had lost his place in the world completely.

It wasn't just that his desire for power and control had been his top priority; as far as he was concerned it was his _only_ priority. It was all that existed. No wonder he had decided to sacrifice her for the good of his plan. It hadn't been anything against her personally. In his eyes, no sacrifice was too great towards the attainment of his goal. It also explained why he had been so ready to attack his brother, whom he had outright declared love for. It was both comforting and heartbreaking. They hadn't just stopped Vergil that day on the roof. They had destroyed him at the core. The failure of his plan must have ultimately seemed to equal his failure as a person, a failure at existing. Her heart broke for him anew.

Vergil was eyeing her warily, perplexed by the myriad emotions he had just seen cross her face. "…Kat? Why are you crying?" Her hand flew to her cheek, hastily brushing away the tears streaking down her face.

"I'm not crying," she replied, drawing in a shaky breath. It was up to her to fix this. She had to make him realize how wrong he was. "Vergil…there's only one reason why I asked Dante to spare you. And it has nothing to do with how _useful_ you are to me." She pushed away from the desk she was leaned against and stepped towards him. "You stupid, stupid nephilim. I stopped Dante because I couldn't stand the thought of you dying. I couldn't imagine a world without you. I couldn't imagine trying to survive in that world." Vergil continued to stare at her as she slowly walked towards him. She was still crying, she could feel it. She didn't care.

"Why?" Vergil demanded warily, his voice flat and broken. "I have nothing to offer you anymore, Kat. You know everything you need to. I've taught you everything I know. You have Dante to protect you. You're free from Mundus' tyranny. You have nothing to gain from me. I am worthless. I am _worth_ —"

"NO!" Kat shouted, cutting him off. "Don't you _dare_ say that to my face, son of Sparda! Not you. You, who pulled me out of a living hell. You, who gave me hope for the first time in my life. You, who gave me something I had only dreamed of—a home, a refuge, safety, purpose, a sense of belonging! You are the only family I have! You are my _world_! Don't you _dare_ try and say you're worthless, because you mean more to me than anything ever has or ever will!" She flung herself to her knees beside the bed. "I begged for your life because I _love you_! I love you, Vergil. Not Vergil, leader of the Order. Not Vergil, the Demon King, ruler of humanity. Not even Vergil the nephilim, Vergil the son of Sparda." Her shoulders were shaking with emotion now. "I love _you_ , Vergil, the man who saved me, the man who helped me discover who I was and who I wanted to be."

He was staring down at her in open astonishment. "I want nothing from you, idiot. I want nothing except you being alive, and well, and _here_. You will never be worthless. You are beyond worth." Her voice was petering out now, her wave of emotion spent. "I love you. I'm sorry I never told you before. The other day, I was so scared I was going to lose you. I was so scared." She swallowed a sob. "When Dante stabbed you…when you passed out…when you were so cold…when you didn't wake up after two straight days…I thought I'd lost you. And that scared me more than any demon ever did, and it hurt me more than all of Mundus' torture ever would." She was babbling now and she realized it, but the floodgates were open and there was no way she was getting them closed again. She was staring at the edge of the bed, her vision blurry and unfocused.

"Kat." It was Vergil's voice, hesitant and uncertain. It was a tone she had never heard from him before. "Hey. Shh. Shh. Please, please stop crying. Just…get up, won't you? Get up." She felt a touch on her shoulder, light, cautious. "At least sit on the bed. For crying out loud." She placed her hands on the mattress and pushed herself slowly up from the floor, shifting to sit on the edge of the bed. She blinked rapidly to clear her vision and chanced a glance at Vergil. He was staring past her and running one hand agitatedly through his hair. His expression was bewildered. He kept thinking of his mother, who had loved her family so much that she had willingly sacrificed herself to allow them the chance to escape. He thought of Kat, who had held her tongue under torture in order to keep his existence a secret. They hadn't done these things because of what they could gain from him, but rather to keep from losing him. All this time, all the struggle he had gone through to prove to everyone that he was worth something, that he had a place…they had always thought so, hadn't they? The only one he had had to convince, it seemed, was himself. And in the process he had almost destroyed the very things he was trying to achieve—acceptance, respect, love. He had been a fool. He _was_ a fool.

He sucked in a breath and looked back at Kat in despair. He could see now that he had always shut her out. She was so wholly devoted to him, so desperate to please him, and he had taken her for granted, walked all over her. He had been ready to throw her away like an old shoe. He was no better than Mundus. Yet—she still loved him. Even after he had said to her face that she was nothing more than a tool to him, she had begged for his life and had not left his side since. Maybe…maybe it wasn't too late to fix this. At least it wasn't too late to try.

"I don't deserve you," he murmured, in a ragged voice that was barely audible. Kat met his gaze in surprise. He rubbed absently at his bandages, realizing that the pain in his chest had actually lessened some. In fact, it almost felt as though part of the wound had knit back up. Strange. He leaned back against the headboard of the bed and simply gazed at Kat for a while. She watched him back, almost afraid to breathe. Her hands clutched the edge of the bed so tightly her knuckles were whitening. At length, Vergil sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "I promise, if any more spiders show up, I'll take care of them for you." She blinked twice before suddenly breaking into a bright grin.

"I'll hold you to that," she replied lightly, scrubbing at her eyes with the back of her hand. They were silent again for a while, but it was a more comfortable silence this time.

"Would you mind handing me my shirt? It's getting kind of chilly in here." His fingers strayed to the amulet around his neck, wrapping lazily around it.

"Oh. Right. Of course." She grabbed the shirt from behind her and chucked it at him. "It's almost too bad. It was a nice view while it lasted." Vergil raised an eyebrow at her before shrugging into the shirt.

"So sorry to disappoint. Maybe you can get Dante to strip when he gets back." Kat made a face.

"I'm already seen way too much of that, thanks." When Vergil gave her a questioning look, she shook her head. "He opened the door without bothering to put on pants first. It's your brother. What do you expect?" Vergil smirked briefly before the two of them lapsed back into silence.

"So, Kat," Vergil said at last, folding his hands in his lap, "it looks like Dante's probably going to be gone for a while." She turned to face him again. Despite having saved her, despite being with her for so long, Vergil realized he had never taken the time to get to know her. He had always kept his distance from her. Things were different now—a lot different. Perhaps it was time for a change. "Why don't you tell me about yourself?" The smile she graced him with could have lit up a dark room. He could actually feel himself relaxing.

"What…what do you want to know?" He tilted his head slightly.

"Everything. Tell me everything." Kat laughed softly, drew up her legs beneath her, and with Vergil truly listening to her for maybe the first time in their acquaintance, began to talk.


	5. Chapter 5

Dante stood silently outside the front door for a long time, his hands shoved into the pockets of his jeans. Despite the fact that it was his family waiting for him inside, he had to admit that part of him simply wanted to turn around and leave again. Coming back the last couple of days had been uncomfortable at best, when he had had to walk in to see Vergil's ashen, unconscious countenance punctuated by spasms of agony and Kat's tired, fretful nervousness. He almost preferred the hoard of demons he had just had to fight off. He didn't know how the situation inside would be now that Vergil had regained consciousness. He heaved a sigh and squared his shoulders. Well, there was only one way to find out. He gripped the door handle for a moment before pushing the door open smoothly.

"Hey, kids, I'm home." He had already prepared himself for a heavy, depressing scene, but what he discovered surprised him. Kat was perched on Vergil's bed, the two of them talking as naturally as you please. The both of them glanced up as Dante entered, and both of them actually smiled. Dante stopped dead in his tracks. This was not in the least what he had expected. The atmosphere was warm and comforting and relaxed, and for the first time in his life Dante actually felt like he _had_ come home. It nearly floored him. Kat hopped off the bed and walked to meet him, laughing softly.

"You all right? You look as though you'd seen a ghost." Dante blinked himself out of his reverie.

"I'm… I'm fine. No, I'm _great_. The stygians were no problem at all. There were just a lot of them. Took me longer than expected." He draped an arm over Kat's shoulders and hugged her briefly to his side. He glanced over at his brother, who was sitting quietly and watching. It was still so, so good to see him alive. "Vergil," Dante said, hoping his voice wouldn't fail him. "You…you look good. You feeling all right?" Vergil smirked.

"Honestly? I'm feeling better than I have in a long time." Dante's eyes lit up.

"Your wound finally healed then?" Vergil shook his head.

"No, it's still there. It just…it doesn't hurt as much today. I think it might actually be healing at last." Dante sighed.

"You have no idea how relieved I am to hear that." Vergil gazed back at his brother quietly for a moment. He actually had a pretty good idea, if Dante's expression was anything to go by. His brother was an open book most of the time. It was oddly touching.

"Glad you made it back in one piece," Vergil said at last. "I wouldn't have been able to come with any kind of dignified eulogy if you had let a bunch of ragtag demons tear you apart." Dante made a face at him, though he was secretly delighted that his brother had relaxed enough to poke fun again.

"You shut up." Vergil chuckled. It was a nice sound. Quite unexpectedly, Dante felt his throat close with emotion. He had been afraid that Vergil had fallen beyond their reach, but this…this was encouraging. This was _normal_. Normal was beautiful. "So," Dante said around the lump in his throat, "Kat, I was going to suggest you and I blow this hospital ward and get some dinner together, but since it looks like the invalid is going to remain alive and lucid for a while, what do you say we stay in tonight? Order some pizza?" Kat grinned.

"Pizza sounds _amazing_ right now." Vergil made a snorting noise.

"Pizza? Really? Guys." Dante raised an eyebrow.

"I have spent all day smashing demons in the face. I think I have earned myself a pizza or two. Or three." Vergil shifted slightly on the mattress, his expression suddenly awkward.

"Fair enough. It's just that…you realize…that I've never had pizza before." Both Dante and Kat stared at him in astonishment.

" _What_?" they said simultaneously. Vergil bristled.

"Why are you so surprised? Especially _you_ , Kat. Have you ever seen me eat pizza?"

"Well…no," Kat admitted slowly. "But…but…really? _How_?"

"What do you mean _how?_ It was quite simple. I preferred eating actual food with actual nutritional benefits." Dante groaned and rolled his eyes.

"No wonder you're such a stick in the mud. Dude. We have a whole new world to show you. Trust me, once you've tried pizza, there's no going back." He glanced over at Kat. "What do you say we make this a real party? Grab some beer, put on some really bad movies?" Vergil looked highly skeptical, but Kat bounced slightly in place from excitement.

"I think that's an awesome idea. I'll go tell Gary to round up some booze for us and call up the pizza guy. You guys stay right here." She all but ran out the door.

"Dante," Vergil said with a tinge of exasperation, "this is not a frat party. What do you think you're doing?"

"Enjoying life, that's what," Dante quipped back. "And from now on, you're going to enjoy it with me."

" _Enjoy_ is a relative term, you know." Dante shoved his hands in his pockets and laughed.

"Not when it comes to pizza and bad movies. Those are universal _truths_."


	6. Chapter 6

The movie that Kat and Dante chose unanimously was _Monty Python and the Holy Grail_. They had dragged the desk across the room and had connected Kat's laptop with one of Vergil's enormous computer monitors on top of it so that they could all watch the movie while crashed on the bed Vergil was using. Vergil, of course, protested everything. His protestations did not prevent him, however, from opening a beer with Dante and accepting a slice of pizza from Kat. While Dante and Kat spent most of the beginning of the movie in uproarious laughter, Vergil kept asking almost plaintive questions about why a moose was biting people and why everyone was carrying coconuts.

As the movie went on and the beer kept flowing, Kat began to notice that Vergil was laughing more and more while Dante was lapsing more into silence. Also, the darker haired twin was spending just as much time watching his brother as he was watching the movie. Dante's expression was waxing more and more introspective and more and more conflicted. Kat realized that she was suddenly the third wheel. She nudged Dante in the side with her elbow, startling him.

"Hey. Hey, Angel Boy. Move over. I need to go to the restroom." Briefly, she touched his wrist before reaching for the computer they were playing the movie on and pausing it. Vergil made a slightly tipsy grunt of disapproval.

"Oh come on, Kat, I want to see how they defeat the Killer Rabbit." Kat chuckled.

"I'll be right back, don't worry. In the mean time, please refrain from killing each other. Or eating all the pizza." She slid off the bed and with a final glance back left the room. Awkward silence descended. Vergil fell back until he was staring at the ceiling, while Dante remained upright, one arm draped over his knee.

"You're right," Vergil mumbled, his eyes half closed. "Pizza, beer and bad movies _are_ universal truths." He had almost been able to completely forget the pain throbbing in his chest. He wondered if the fuzziness in his brain was responsible for that, or if the terrible jokes he had been watching were. In any case, it was the closest he had been to _peace_ in a long time. He suddenly realized that Dante was being very quiet. He pushed himself up on one elbow, certain he would discover his twin sound asleep and probably drooling. Much to his surprise, Dante was neither. Instead, Dante was staring directly at him, his expression raw, with actual tears running down his face. Vergil's mouth dropped open from sheer surprise. " _Dante?_ What the fuck is wrong?" Dante sucked in a ragged breath, making no move to even wipe his eyes.

"Vergil. Vergil. I'm so sorry, Vergil. Gods, I'm so sorry." He words came out in a mumbled slur. Vergil pushed himself all the way up into a sitting position, too shocked to even reply at first. What had brought this on? He attempted a chuckle, but it came out strained and lacking any semblance of mirth.

"Sorry? For what, eating that last slice of the pepperoni? Joke's on you, I liked the sausage better." The sheer force of emotion in Dante's gaze rattled Vergil, though he tried not to show it. Why was there so much pain in those blue depths? Vergil was confused. Dante had been the victor. His brother was the definition of confident; he was so cocky, so _arrogant_. Dante had _won._ There was no reason for him to be that distressed! Dante ran a hand over his face, oblivious to Vergil's puzzlement.

"I'm so sorry I stabbed you," he muttered at last. "I'm so sorry." Vergil forced another laugh, even as he felt a hot stab of emotion snake through his gut. He quickly tried to shrug it off.

"Oh come on, what's this? You have had _way_ too much to drink." Dante shook his head, meeting Vergil's gaze again.

"Of course I have. I don't think I could be saying this if I hadn't." The dismissive smile dropped off Vergil's face again. Dante was serious. "I can't get it out of my head. I can't stop replaying that moment on the rooftop when I…when I stabbed you. _Impaled_ you. I almost killed you, Vergil. I don't…" He closed his eyes and took a deep, shuddering breath. "If Kat hadn't stepped in, I don't know if I would have stopped." His eyes opened again, and he locked gazes with his brother. "You're still hurt, you're still in pain, and it's my fault. It's _my fault._ I am so sorry. I don't think…I don't know if I can ever make up for this. I betrayed you, I turned my back on you, I attacked you, and I was going to _kill_ you. I owe almost everything to you, and I was going to wipe you out! How can you ever forgive me? How can I ever forgive myself?" He ran his hands through his hair, fresh tears streaking down his face. Vergil stared back at his brother, bewildered. This was all wrong. Dante was taking all the blame for something that wasn't his fault. Had he been carrying this burden ever since Vergil had passed out? Vergil narrowed his eyes.

"Dante, you _won._ You're the victor here. Winners don't _regret._ " Dante scowled.

" _I almost killed you!"_ he snapped.

"Dante…listen to me. You do remember the circumstances of what happened that day, don't you? If you'll recall, I was not innocently standing beside you when you drew your sword. I was getting ready to take over all of humanity. I attacked you first. You did what you had to. I gave you no choice." Dante shook his head.

"No. I had a choice. After I defeated you, I could have walked away. But I…I didn't back off. I didn't hold back. I pushed Rebellion _clean through you_. If you had died back there, it would have been my fault." He stared down at the fists he had balled in his lap. "You're my brother. You're the only family I have left, and your blood is on my hands. Oh _gods_ , I am so sorry…" He was crying again, sobbing even. Vergil was astonished. Didn't Dante understand that Vergil had been the aggressor, and he the defender? Why was he feeling so much regret for something that wasn't his fault? Vergil could almost see the gulf yawning open between him and his brother, a gulf that he knew he was responsible for and yet for which Dante seemed to be blaming himself. He was not having that. It was time to repay Dante for saving his life. Vergil shifted on the bed, moving his legs beneath him and crawling forward until he was kneeling on the bed directly beside Dante. Dante merely stared back at him.

"Dante. Dante, stop. Hey. Listen to me." He pressed a hand to his chest. "Last I checked I was still alive, so don't you dare start mourning me." Dante smiled briefly and dropped his gaze, his chest still heaving with suppressed sobs. Vergil sighed, his hand straying to his amulet again. "Besides, I'm not going to let you beat yourself bloody for something you couldn't control." Dante tried to reply at that, but Vergil cut him off. He reached out and grabbed his brother's shoulder, though the other still refused to look at him.

Vergil frowned. This pain was not Dante's to bear. It surprised him, how abhorrent he found the idea of Dante in pain, any kind of pain. Why did his brother have to be so dense? How could he make him understand? "Dante. _Listen._ It's not your fault. This wound, this pain, this whole mess? I brought this on myself. All of this is my fault, not yours. I pushed you too far. I backed you squarely into a corner. I was out of control and you had to stop me." Dante was still staring impassively at the mattress. It was strange, listening to his own words, words that were spilling out of him almost uncontrollably now. In his desperate attempt to comfort his brother and stop Dante's hurt, Vergil was making himself face the truth. He was beginning to fully realize what had really happened back on that rooftop. It wasn't just Dante who needed to understand, it seemed.

"I stopped listening to reason. Remember, you tried that first. I was too consumed with my own pride, my own need for control and power. I ignored you and immediately defaulted to trying to slice you in half. You, the brother I hunted for and finally found again. You, my family, my brother, my _twin._ I forgot all that. In that moment, you were nothing more than an obstacle in my path that had to be removed. If our places had been reversed and I had been the one to defeat you, I would have killed you in a heartbeat." The words and the realization were bitter and painful for him to say, but he knew that it was true. He had been prepared to destroy the brother whom he loved dearer than anything else. How could he have been so blind? "Dante, the only reason I'm still alive is because of you." Dante met Vergil's gaze at last, his eyes still pouring out anguish. His expression hurt Vergil more than Rebellion could ever have. Vergil hated that look on his brother's face. He especially hated that he was the cause of it.

"Is that true, though?" Dante demanded sharply. "If Kat hadn't been there, if she hadn't…would I have stopped? Would I have spared you? I honestly don't know. And that scares me. And horrifies me. Because I _don't know_." Vergil sighed, loosening his grip on Dante's shoulder slightly. He had been gripping so hard that his hand hurt now. On an impulse that even he couldn't explain, Vergil reached up and grabbed both sides of his brother's coat. How he wished they could have grown up together. There was so much lost time to make up for, and he didn't want to waste it on regret and bitterness. He had done that long enough. He didn't want to see Dante doing it now. Dante was so impulsive and so passionate. His remorse was as strong as his conviction to act had been. He needed Vergil to balance him out, to center him, just as Vergil needed Dante to drive him into action. Logic and emotion. Hot and cold. Brain and brawn. They were, as ever, two halves of a whole.

" _I_ know," he said quietly. "I know exactly what you would have done. You would have stopped. You wouldn't have let me die." Dante tried to look away again, but Vergil made him hold his gaze.

"How? How can you know?" Dante demanded.

"You would have stopped, because you are _good_. You cared enough about Kat to go after her when I had already written her off. You cared enough about humans to fight for them, even against your own brother. And in the end, you cared enough about _me_ to save me when I had already given up on myself." He moved his hands to Dante's shoulders again. "I wasn't exaggerating when I said that you're the only reason I'm still alive. I was ready to die, Dante, but you wouldn't let me. You said the only thing that could possibly have made me stay." He smirked. "You're really bad at letting me go, and I am eternally grateful for that. I owe you my life, brother. You _saved_ me by stabbing me, believe it or not."

Dante tilted his head slightly, his brows knit low over his eyes, processing what Vergil was telling him. Vergil wasn't done yet, though. There was still so much that needed saying. One thing in particular nagged at him. One thing absolutely needed saying now. "And…look, if one of us should be saying sorry for what's happened between us, it's not you. It's me." Vergil sat back on his heels, staring down at his hands. What a mess he had made of things. Somehow, he had been given a second chance. A chance to start over. A chance to fix things. He wasn't quite sure how he was going to go about it, but he figured this would be a good way to start. "I'm sorry I turned on you and Kat. I'm sorry I wouldn't listen to you. I was an idiot and a fool, too wrapped up in my dreams of glory to realize I was hurting the ones closest to me. I'm sorry for making you hurt me. You understand? I _made you hurt me_." Dante stared back at Vergil for a long moment before he suddenly shifted to his knees as well. He reached out, grabbed Vergil's sleeve, and pulled his brother into a tight hug. Dante was warm and solid, and his hug was sincere. It felt like coming home.

"I'm so glad you're not dead," Dante said into Vergil's shoulder as he clung to him. "Or crazy. Or, you know, evil. You really had me worried, brother. Now that I've found you, I know that life would suck without you." Vergil huffed a laugh, returning the hug with equal force.

"I'm rather glad I'm not dead or crazy either. Not sure about the evil bit, though. One of us has to be the evil twin, after all." Dante finally released him at that and laughed, wiping the remaining tears off his face.

"Maybe we can alternate. I'll be the evil twin on Tuesdays and Thursdays." Vergil flopped back onto the mattress, exhaling a deep breath that felt like it had been pent up for years. Dante watched him for a moment, silently going over everything that had happened in his mind's eye before speaking again, in a quiet steady voice. "I love you, Vergil. So much." Vergil opened his eyes slowly, letting the words resonate between them. In that moment, he felt a deep sense of belonging. Here, at Dante's side, was home.

"I know you do," he replied. "I think I've always known, even when I tried to deny it to myself." He let his eyes drop closed again. "I love you, too, you idiot. I told you as much back then, and I meant it, even if my mind was in a weird place at the time. Mundus did the worst thing he could have possibly done when he separated us. It's about time we were back in each other's lives. We have a lot of catching up to do."

"Yeah we do. How did I last so long without knowing you? I don't even know what I would do without you at this point."

"Same thing I would do. Kick demon butt as the only lonely nephilim," Vergil said with a wry laugh. He was gratified to hear Dante join in.

"Fucker. You know what I mean."

"Yeah. Yeah, I know. No worries though. I don't intend on either of us having to find out." Vergil could almost feel his life falling back into place. His earlier despair was melting away like snow. It was amazing. He reached up and touched his chest. Strange…it just felt like his wound had knit up a little more. The pain was barely more than an annoying twinge now.

"Yeah, you're definitely stuck with me," Dante agreed.

"Let's see how long it takes us to drive each other absolutely insane. Or Kat, for that matter. On that note, you can go tell Kat it's okay to come back in now." Dante raised an eyebrow.

"What? I thought she went to the restroom." Vergil laughed.

"Good to know I'm still the perceptive one." He raised his voice. "Kat? You can stop eavesdropping now; the heartfelt conversation is over. Come on, I want to see how this movie ends." A moment later the door slid open and Kat sheepishly rejoined them on the bed, to Dante's astonishment.

"I thought I was being stealthy," she muttered. She restarted the movie before flopping down beside Vergil. Dante, who was still on the tipsy side, was immediately distracted and laughing again. Kat glanced over at Vergil, who had fallen quiet. He was smiling softly to himself, not really watching the movie but rather gazing off into the dark. She couldn't remember him ever looking happier or more at peace.

Despite best efforts, neither Dante nor Kat made it to the end of the movie. Dante was already snoring before the Animated Horror, and Kat had pulled the quilt over her head sometime around the Bridge of Questions. Vergil, much to his surprise, actually made it all the way to the end, although he couldn't claim that he was very interested in the plot anymore. Everyone getting arrested at the end was pretty amusing, though. Vergil managed to stay awake long enough to shut down the computer before he dropped back to the mattress and disappeared into blissful sleep. It had been quite a day.


	7. Chapter 7

Vergil knew that he wasn't dreaming, because everything felt too real. It felt like he was in Limbo, but only his mind had gone. Everything had the surreal quality that comes with dreams. He was on some kind of floating island, the distant landscape shrouded in fog. For a while, all he could do was stand in place, perplexed. How had he gotten here? Where was he, exactly? His train of thought was suddenly interrupted by a voice speaking from somewhere behind him, a voice that froze him to his bones.

"…Vergil? Is that…is that you?" He couldn't even turn around for a long, hard moment.

"Mom?" he choked. Working on willpower alone, he wrenched his gaze from his feet and turned to look behind him. It _was_ her, in all her beauty, looking just as wonderful as his memories of her. Her red hair spilled over her slight shoulders, disheveled and yet still ethereally beautiful. Her hands were at her mouth, her eyes shining with as yet unshed tears. " _Mom_!" Before he had even fully gathered his bearings he was moving, half-running and half-staggering towards her. She met him halfway, enveloping him in a powerful hug.

"Look at you!" Eva murmured, stepping back after a moment. She reached up and trailed a hand down his cheek. "Look how handsome you've become, my darling!" Vergil's chest heaved with emotion.

"Mom, what are you…what are you doing here? You…you're dead. I don't understand. Am I dreaming? You've never deigned to show up in my dreams before." She smiled warmly at him. It was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. He felt his heart twist.

"Oh, sweetheart, you're not dreaming, and neither am I. This is real. It's all thanks to you boys." _Thanks to Dante,_ Vergil couldn't help thinking. "Now that Mundus is defeated and the worlds are collapsing together, it's finally possible for me to come see you again. It's been so long! Oh, I've missed you so much!" _Missed Dante, you mean,_ said the little voice inside him that refused to shut up. Eva reached out to touch the amulet that was around his neck, and though her touch was gentle it still burned him. "You're still wearing the amulet I gave you, after all these years," she said softly. Vergil huffed a laugh, though it came out strained.

"Of course I am. Why wouldn't I?" His hand strayed to the stone and his fingers closed around its smoothness. He decided not to tell her that he had debated throwing it away time after time, but had been unable to go through with it. "Just because I recognize it for a consolation prize of sorts and I know it's really intended for Dante, it was still a gift from you and I still treasure it." Eva brows furrowed.

"What? What are you talking about?" Vergil stepped back a pace from her, old bitter emotions creeping back up from the dark recesses of his mind to which he had banished them. He was still half convinced that this was actually a dream, and you could get away with a lot in dreams.

"It's all right, Mother. I know he was your favorite. I could never be like him. " _Always waiting in his shadow, always second best._ "I could never claim your attention or his affection the way he could. It's all right, though, he and I have reconciled now." He withheld the fact that leading up to their understanding he had tried to kill his brother because of the raging jealousy he had never quite been able to shake. No sense in breaking his mother's heart as soon as he found her again, even if she was an illusion.

"What?" she repeated, genuine distress written all across her features. She grabbed his hands and clung to them. "Vergil, no, why would you think that? I loved both of you equally! You are my children, my beloved children, and I adore both of you. What did I do to make you think so?" Vergil shook his head, knowing that any attempt at words would break him. Eva stroked his face again, studying his features. "I know that I spent a lot of time with your brother when you were younger. He was the wild one, the impulsive one. If I didn't keep an eye on him every second, he would be burning the house down the minute I turned my back. You, Vergil, were always so good. You were quiet and sensible. I didn't have to worry about you. I knew you could take care of yourself. I thought you understood that. I'm sorry if it came across as not loving you as much. That's just not true. It could never be true. I loved you more than life itself. _Love_ you more than life." Her voice, thick with emotion, finally broke into a sob, stopping any further words from forming. Instead, she simply dropped her hands and drew her son into her embrace again.

Vergil stared down at his mother, completely blown away. He first impulse was a defensive reaction to immediately disbelieve her, but his second was to remember the events of the past couple of days and the last couple of conversations he'd had with his family. He had misunderstood Kat for years. He had misunderstood _Dante_ for years. He had let miscommunication and false assumptions color his judgments, fuel his hatred, and all but ruin his life. Perhaps he was doing that again here. Perhaps it was time to stop hating everyone blindly and start listening to what they were saying. He wrapped his arms around his mother and for the first time began desperately hoping that this wasn't a dream.

"I'm sorry, Mother," he said quietly. "I'm so sorry. I've been an ass." She laughed weakly into his shoulder.

"No, dear, it's all right. It's been a hard several years on all of us." They stayed in each other's arms for a long, long time before a voice interrupted them.

"Vergil? ….MOM?" Vergil stepped back to allow Dante to come swooping in and all but crush Eva in a hug of his own. Vergil tilted his head as he stood by and watched them. This was his family. These were the people he cared about. These were the people…that _loved_ him. He knew that now. It was bizarre. Eva smiled at him over Dante's shoulder (the idiot had gone for under the arm and had lifted Eva clean off the ground) and reached a hand out. Vergil hesitated a moment. He could still feel the black sludge of hate he had clung to for so long staining the edges of his mind. He was tired of it now. It was time to let go. It was time to move forward. He moved closer again, and Dante set down their mother to enfold both Eva and Vergil in an awkward group hug. In the arms of his family, Vergil suddenly felt the remaining thrumming pain in his chest fade away like smoke in a breeze. There was no pain anymore. He felt whole, and he felt free. Overwhelmed, Vergil screwed his eyes closed and let the tears come. It had been too long since he had let himself cry.


	8. Chapter 8

The three of them sat on the strange floating island for a long time, catching up on recent events and enjoying each other's company. Eva wanted to hear all the details about the defeat of Mundus, which Dante was of course more than happy to provide. For his part, Vergil was content to sit and listen to his brother bluster and boast. Every now and again he would slide in a comment about Kat and his involvement, just to make sure Dante didn't get completely carried away. For her part, Eva had an expression of absolute bliss, now that she was once again reunited with her sons. It was only when they reached the end of their tale and Dante told her about the demons spilling more frequently into the real world that Eva's expression darkened.

"That's bad news. Without someone to rule over them, the demons will just continue wreaking havoc on the mortals. Humans are ill equipped to deal with this threat." Vergil shot Dante an _I told you so_ look, which the dark haired twin pointedly ignored.

"It's okay, mom," Dante reassured her. "Vergil and I are there to keep things under control."

"And Kat," Vergil reminded him, earning himself an appreciative smirk from his brother. He was learning.

"And Kat," Dante amended. Eva shook her head.

"I'm glad you boys are there helping out," she said, "but there's still only three of you. There's no way you can keep the entire population of Limbo under control and still maintain any semblance of a normal life. You'll run yourself ragged." Vergil laced his fingers together and nodded.

"I've been having the same thoughts," he admitted. "Our current situation is unsustainable." Dante knit his brow and rubbed absently at his shoulder. His last bout with the stygians had taken a larger toll on him than he had let on, and the bastards only seemed to be increasing in number.

"We'll figure something out," he said at last. "Now that we're working together again, there will be no stopping us." Eva still looked concerned, but Vergil nodded.

"He's right, Mother. We'll be okay." He reached out to touch her arm. "What about you, though? What are you going to do? Are you going to come back to Earth and rejoin us?" She laid her hand over his and squeezed lightly.

"Sorry, dear, I can't. I don't think I can exist in the physical realm anymore. No, my days on Earth are over." Vergil felt his heart break a little, but pushed the feeling aside.

"I'm sorry to hear that. So…what _will_ you do?" Eva flushed slightly.

"Well…I actually think that I'm going to go look for your father." Vergil's eyebrows rose and Dante made a noise something like a squeak.

"You're kidding!" Dante said once he found his voice again. "You have got to be kidding. Dad…dad is gone, Mom. He was banished. Sealed away." Eva shook her head.

"The world has been turned on its head. I never thought…well, I'm free now. If you were able to shake the realms enough that I can move freely, perhaps…just perhaps…you've somehow managed to do the same for Sparda." Vergil and Dante exchanged a glance. Eva huffed. "I know it's a long shot. I know there's not much hope. I know. But…it's been so long since I had any hope at all, and now…I know he's out there somewhere. I've got eternity to find him." And then she smiled, so bittersweet and hopeful and blindingly beautiful that Vergil wanted to cry all over again.

"Good luck," was all he was able to say. "If anyone can find him, it's you." Eva nodded.

"Well, it looks like morning is approaching in your world, boys. It's time for you to leave." Dante immediately began to protest, but Vergil remained silent. He knew she was right.

"Come on, Dante. We've got work to do back home." He rose to his feet, extending a hand to help Eva. Dante also stood, though he continued to grumble under his breath. He hugged Eva so tightly she gasped.

"It was good seeing you, Mom. Be careful out there. You know where to find us if you need us." Eva smiled warmly at him before moving to hug Vergil.

"Take care of each other," she said quietly. "I'm not worried about you when you're together. " Vergil chuckled.

"Not sure that's wise," he muttered. "The last time we were together we tried to kill each other." Eva shook her head.

"You're all right now. I can tell. Be good. I love you."

"Love you too, Mom."

"Dante? DANTE?"

Vergil was wrested out of sleep by a frantic hammering at the door. Dante and Kat were also stirring out of sleep beside him, in the same haphazard positions they had fallen asleep in. Dante covered his face with his hands and groaned.

"Is it morning already? Damn. I had the _craziest_ dream." He rubbed his eyes. "Ow my head." Vergil huffed and heaved into a sitting position.

"That's what you get for downing three times the alcohol of Kat and I combined." The hammering at the door continued, the voices outside becoming more desperate. Kat struggled off the bed to go to the doors. Three members of the Order stumbled into the room.

"Dante, we need your help. Another monster uprising. Worst one we've seen yet."

"Shit," Dante spat, sliding off the bed and groping for his twin guns. "Can't a guy catch a break?" Vergil was also climbing off the bed, reaching for his coat and sword. Dante reached back and caught his sleeve. "Just what do you think you're doing? You're an invalid, remember? You stay here." Vergil shook his head.

"I'm fine, Dante. The pain's gone now. All of it. I feel fine." Dante raised an eyebrow incredulously.

"What? Ridiculous. You were passed out cold just yesterday." In response, Vergil stripped off his shirt and began unwinding the bandages. Both Kat and Dante yelped in protest until they saw the skin underneath. There was no sign of the wound left. Not even a trace of blood remained.

"See? I'm fine." Dante shook his head.

"Well, I don't understand it, but I'll accept it. I could use all the help I can get. Come on. Let's go take care of these bastards so I can get back to my nap." Kat tsked.

"You just woke up, lazybones." She twisted her hands together, a hint of worry creeping across her otherwise guarded expression. "Be careful out there, guys." The boys nodded before disappearing out the door along with the Order members who had come to fetch them.


	9. Chapter 9

By the time the nephilim twins staggered back the hideout, Kat had straightened up the mess from last night and then some. She looked up as the door opened and let out a low sound of distress. Both Vergil and Dante looked completely exhausted, their clothing disheveled and clotted with blood. Dante tossed his guns carelessly onto a desk before dropping heavily into a chair. Vergil leaned Yamato against a wall with a little more care and lowered himself a little more gently onto the bed.

"Are you guys okay?" Kat demanded. "What happened? Did you quell them?"

"Oh yeah," Dante said. "It just took a lot longer than anticipated. As it's starting to do more and more often, actually." Vergil nodded in agreement.

"There weren't just stygians this time either. There were rages, ravagers, and at least one death knight. The stronger denizens are starting to show themselves. The humans are going to have a hard time of things." Kat hugged her arms to her body.

"You guys look awful. You can't keep this up. What do we do?" Vergil tapped a finger against the mattress thoughtfully. It was very hard to be thoughtful amidst the sheer exhaustion he was feeling. Dante heaved himself back out of the chair and paced back and forth for a bit before suddenly stopping in the dead center of the room. His face twisted into something between epiphany and resignation.

"I think," he said at last, as if forcing the words past some hindrance, "I think I've got it. We go back to Vergil's original plan. We make Vergil the Demon King." The tension in the room stretched taut like a pulled rubber band. Vergil and Kat both shot him a look of sheer disbelief.

" _No."_ they said at the same time, in various tones of horror.

"Dante, you've gone mad," Kat said after a slightly awkward silence. "We can't just let Vergil…no. _No."_ Vergil ran his hands over his face, trying to crush the maddening glee that was threatening to rush up. He had made so much progress; he wasn't about to backslide now.

"She's right, Dante," he muttered wearily. "I've come so far since I made that plan, I've become someone entirely new. You can't just ask me to…to once again become that… _that._ That unfeeling monster. You told me there was no room here for a Demon King, and I believed you. Now you're saying you want me to do a complete 180 and become just that?" Dante heaved a sigh, resuming his anxious pacing.

"I know it sounds ludicrous, and I know I sound like I'm contradicting myself, but look. The reason the demons are wreaking havoc right now is because they are in total anarchy, right?"

"Right," Vergil agreed warily.

"They lack command, discipline, any kind of structure. You could give that to them. You could rein them in by reigning over them. They stop popping over to this plane to munch on mortals and you get to lord over something and have authority again. Win/win, right?" Vergil folded his arms again, thinking. He had to admit his brother had good reasoning.

"Why can't you do it?" he asked. "You have as much right to rule as I do. More, probably, what with my whole try-to-subjugate-humanity ploy." Dante scoffed.

"I'm too much of a wild card, and you know it. I'm not cut out in any way to rule over anything. You need discipline to provide discipline, and we all know I'm a bit lacking in that department." Kat cringed and nodded. Vergil huffed a sigh and knit his brows, thinking.

"It's risky," he said at last. "First of all, I don't even know how I go about even attempting it. They have no reason to accept me as their ruler."

"Of course they do," Kat chimed in, though hesitantly. She still wasn't completely sold on the idea. "You're a son of Sparda. You're one of two existing nephilim. Plus you overthrew their previous ruler, that's got to mean something." Vergil shrugged one shoulder.

"Fine. Granted. But that aside, my other concern is a bit more…personal." He closed his eyes, feeling the raw emotion seethe in his gut. "Taking over the demons will give me access to a tremendous amount of power. Real, awful power. How are you sure I won't turn it against Earth? Turn it against you? Bring all my plans of domination to fruition?" He crossed his arms tightly against his chest, his gaze fixed on the floor. "They say absolute power corrupts absolutely, and I'm not going in entirely innocent. Do you trust me enough to let me do this? How are you so sure I won't turn evil again?" Dante stared at his brother until Vergil reluctantly met his gaze.

"Will you?" Dante asked simply. Vergil opened his mouth to reply and found that he couldn't. He felt all the emotion drain out of him, leaving him feeling cold.

"I don't know," he said weakly, crossing his arms tighter. "I don't…I don't trust myself anymore." He heard his voice break and cursed himself. "I don't know what I _am_ anymore. What I'm supposed to be." Dante smirked, though his expression softened.

"Join the club, man. I haven't known for _years._ Angel? Demon? Nephilim? Hero or villain? Who knows?" Kat snorted a quiet laugh, looking back and forth between the brothers.

"If I can throw in my two cents? What I see are two young men, trapped in a struggle between dark and light, good and evil, trying to figure out their place in the world while battling insecurity, guilt, and family issues. You want to know what you are? I don't know guys, but you sound pretty human to me." The two nephilim slowly looked over at her. She shrugged, a smile still playing on her face. "Just saying." Everyone was silent for a moment longer, before Vergil suddenly stood up from the bed.

"Human, eh?" he said to no one in particular. "Well, what are humans better at than foolhardy, not well thought out plans of dubious success?" He grabbed Yamato and headed for the door, not even looking back to see if Dante and Kat were following. He knew they would be. "All right then. Here we go." Squaring his shoulders, he opened the door and sauntered outside. Limbo wouldn't know what hit it.


	10. Chapter 10

Finding a pack of demons took far less time than Vergil was comfortable with. A cluster of stygians and a death knight were coming down the street towards them. They really were cropping up everywhere with worrying frequency, now. Dante drew his guns and came to stand beside his brother. "So what's the plan?" Dante asked nonchalantly, only the barest hint of tension creeping into his voice. Vergil drew in a deep breath and closed his eyes.

"We have to show them we mean business," he said simply. "Or, I suppose, that I mean business. I just want you here to back me up in case things get nasty." Dante chuckled darkly.

"Things got nasty a long time ago, man. Do what you have to." Vergil nodded curtly. His hand resting lazily on Yamato's hilt, Vergil stepped forward towards the demons, which halted their shambling gait and watched him.

"Listen, you scum," Vergil shouted at them. "Your reign of terror over this realm is over. Your master is dead, and I'm here to inform you that you have a new master now." He unsheathed Yamato just a little. "You're looking at him. Bow before me and quake." The demons, apparently unimpressed, spread out and began adopting threatening postures, hissing angrily at him. They stood in a grim faceoff for several tense seconds. Finally, one stygian lunged forward towards his throat. Before it could reach him, Vergil had whipped Yamato out and cleaved the demon neatly in half. He felt a surge of power spike through him, in a way it never had before. For a split second, everything became blindingly clear. His family, his friends, what he was, what he was capable of, what he needed to do—the whole world seemed sharper, better defined. He heard his brother whoop behind him.

"Nice devil trigger, bro! You look awesome!" Vergil glanced down at his hands, bright and crackling with energy. He felt amazing. He felt complete, and he felt completely powerful. So this was devil triggering. So this was _power_. He reveled in it for a moment. He was unstoppable now. He could do anything. Everything in his way would fall. Humanity would—but no. He felt his heart beat inside him, strong and rhythmic. He was his own being now, free from his maddening obsession with power. He had his family again. He would protect them. He _could_ protect them. Another stygian started forward, and instead of swinging at it Vergil pinned it beneath a withering glare. It froze in place.

" _Enough_ ," Vergil said sternly, surprised at how his own voice resonated in his ears. "No more fighting. I am your master now. And I say _enough_." There was another tense stretch where nothing moved. Kat almost wanted to cover her eyes. Dante kept his guns aimed dead at the stygians, certain everything was going to hell very shortly. Vergil didn't look away, didn't move, hardly _breathed._ Then—the demon moved forward, slowly, before dropping into what could only be a bow. The other demons behind it followed suit. A hush seemed to fall on the world.

"I can't believe it," Kat said breathlessly. "It worked. They've accepted him." Vergil straightened his posture and almost nonchalantly sheathed Yamato again. Raw energy still crackled around him like a halo.

"Go back to Limbo where you belong," he ordered. "Let the rest of your kind know that the rule of Vergil, Son of Sparda, has begun. You will leave the mortal realm, _all of you_ , and you will stay gone." With a dip of the head, the demons vanished. Vergil released the energy rushing through him, his skin and hair returning to normal. The sudden void left him feeling weak, and his knees sagged under him, no longer able to support his weight. Dante was at his side in an instant, catching him before he fully collapsed and supporting him to keep him standing.

"You did it," Dante said, his voice thick with pride. "You're the new Demon King, Vergil. Congrats." Vergil shook his head.

"Time will tell, brother. We'll see."

Time did indeed tell. The twins and Kat dragged themselves back to the hideout to collapse again and wait for status updates from the rest of the Order. The news was almost instant in coming. Reports began to pour in of demons and terrors vanishing, retreating back into the realm from which they had come. People were beginning to come out of hiding. Things were looking up for the first time in a long time.

Over the next couple of days, Dante, Vergil and Kat went out into the city several times to clear out any remaining demon stragglers. Any they found immediately bowed to Vergil's authority and retreated without putting up any fight. It was encouraging, to say the least. For Vergil's part, he finally felt like he had found his purpose. He felt like he was exactly where he needed to be. It was incredible. At the end of just such one foray, the three demon hunters found themselves standing on the top of a building gazing out at the setting sun, oddly reminiscent of the night Vergil had tried to turn on humanity. A lot had changed since then.

"So what now?" Dante asked, flicking a bit of trash over the edge and watching it spiral down. "How does it feel being top dog at last, in a constructive way no less?" Vergil laughed.

"I'm not going to lie, it feels pretty amazing. How's it feel being second in command to the Demon King?" Dante made a face at him. Vergil folded his arms.

"You know, brother, now that I'm Demon King I'm probably going to have to spend quite a bit of time in Limbo. Keep my new subjects content, make sure things are running smoothly. That sort of thing." Dante's face fell.

"I guess you're right. I didn't think of that." Vergil shook his head, chuckling.

"I suspected as much. But look, I was thinking. I'll need some kind of permanent gateway to easily shift back and forth between the two realms."

"Okay, and?"

"And…suppose that gateway could be set up somewhere a little outside town, a little more private, somewhere we could fortify." Dante narrowed his eyes.

"You've got somewhere in mind, don't you." Vergil grinned and nodded.

"Kind of. How about our childhood home? Let's restore it and set up base there." Dante's eyes widened.

"Are you serious? Go home? Without mom or dad there? You don't think it'd be…too hard? All the memories still there?" Vergil shook his head.

"Of course it's going to be hard. Nothing with us is ever easy. But…that place is _home_. It's where we made some of our best memories, and I say we should start making new ones there. Better ones. Rebuild everything. Rebuild our lives. Together." Dante gazed off towards the horizon for a moment before looking back at his brother, his face splitting into a dazzling smile.

"All right. Sure, why not? Let's do it." Kat came up behind them and linked her arms around their waists.

"Only if I can get my own room," she said cheekily. Vergil smiled back at her as Dante laughed.

"Deal, you little minx," Vergil quipped. He glanced back towards the horizon, where the setting sun was painting the sky with slashes of red and orange. The future looked brighter than it ever had. With his family beside him, he couldn't wait to face whatever tomorrow brought him, and the day after that, and all the other days beyond that, forever.

 _Fin_


End file.
